Honor Students
by SirDragneel
Summary: Lucy just wanted a normal college life, but when she decides to learn more about the mysterious "honor students", can she handle the dangers that come with it?. Natsu just wanted to finish what he was put here for, but things never go right when you end up falling in love. [NaLu][AU]
1. Meet the Honors

**A/N: My new story! I hope you enjoy~ Each chapter will (maybe) be a different POV**

**ENJOY~**

* * *

_**LUCY**_

Fairy Tail. One of the most famous and most popular collages in Fiore. You had to be either super rich or super smart to get in, of which Lucy was both. The campus was huge, like a mini town, and even had it's own club, and encouraged partying, for some odd reason. Although really fancy, it's really laid back, which is good for the stress of work.

Apparently, there are a few different types of students here. The rich, and lethal. The kind who has connections. The scholarship students. And honor students. Which she always thought scholarship and honor students were the same thing, but she guessed she was wrong. But this school does seem to be very different from other schools too, and she was surprised with some of the people that get in, considering that it's so "up there" on the top collages list.

For instance, most of these "honor students" seemed really quirky, awkward, and always had "after hour classes". Now some are more normal, like Lucy's best friend, and roommate, Levy McGarden. But others were... easy to anger? At least most of the guys, like Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster, who always ended up in a brawl by the end of the day, and somehow had a line of socialite fangirls right behind them.

She pondered this even now, as she sat on a bench outside, with her best friend at her side while they revised. Why of all times did she decide to bring this up now? Because former mentioned idiots, Natsu and Gray, were duking it out 15 feet away from her! And they kept making her re-read the same sentences over and over.

Lucy finally slammed the heavy textbook close, in frustration, while turning to Levy. "I'm getting a headache from these lame comebacks" she groaned, while her bluenette friend giggled.

"Yeah, I guess~ I think it's kinda funny though~" She responded, closing her own book.

Lucy nodded slightly "Yeah, for the first five minutes..." she muttered distastefully, while Levy laughed more, agreeing silently, as they both packed up their things. "Oh! I just remembered! A new store is opening in the mall today, wanna check it out after classes?" Lucy asked excitedly, remembering getting an email that morning. but when Levy frowned slightly, Lucy knew the answer. The answer that came every time.

"I'm sorry Lu-chan, I have-"

"I know, 'After Hour Classes'" Lucy sighed, disappointed, while Levy smiled apologetically

"Gomen neh, Lu-chan~ Maybe Saturday~" She said happily, while walking off ahead of me, to her next class, and Lucy turned to go to creative writing.

What was up with these special classes anyways? Even our Dorm Enforcer, Erza, went to them. And it kinda pissed her off too. What if it was some special course for the next Einsteins?!

Whatever it was, she had her own priorities, and she couldn't be bothered with it right now.

* * *

Lucy sighed, as she finally made it out of the classes for the day. So, grabbing her bag, she stood and made her way to the girl's dormitory, ready to throw open my door, and take a nice, hot, bubble bath~ Lucy sighed happily at the thought, as she walked into the dorms entry/lounge. But as she passed up some girls, she couldn't help but hear them talking.

"It's true! I actually asked him out!" One black hair said, and looked like a high school cheerleader.

Another one with red hair, green eyes, and a freckled face gasped in shock "really? You asked Natsu out?! What did he say?!" she inquired excitedly, while Lucy rolled her eyes.

_'Boys...' _she thought bitterly, fixing to walk again

"He said he couldn't because he had special classes tonight..." The black haired one pouted, before adding "that, and he said he didn't know me..."

Lucy then continued her walk, narrowing her eyes in thought. Why one earth would NATSU have special classes? He was about as smart as a brick, and that was insulting the brick!

Now Lucy was REALLY suspicious. What were these classes? And how could she find out? I guess that was simple though, just follow Levy.

That was it, Lucy made up her mind. She was going to follow tomorrow, after classes! and find out what these damned classes were!

* * *

Lucy was damn tired of following her friend, who seemed to be walking for forever, off toward an abandoned part of campus. But she kept walking. Past all the fancy buildings, and glorified hell holes, and right towards a small little building. It was gray, with paint chapping off, and looked like a thieves hideout, quite honestly. But no way could little Levy be a criminal. Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel?.. well, she gave them that, but still.

Levy finally walked it, and after the door shut, Lucy followed quickly.

The interior was all wood, and seemed rather cozy. even the tables and benches there were wood. But Lucy blinked as everyone froze and stared. Hey, she recognized a lot of these people too! Like Cana, Natsu, Gajeel, Gray, Levy, Erza, Bisca, Alzack, Loke and even the teacher, who was Gildartz-sensei. Heck, there was even a little girl there!

and suddenly the room was filled with talking;

"Lu-chan?"

"M-Miss Heartfilia"

"Isn't that Luigi?"

"Lucy! Your moron!'

But the whole room immediately shut up when Loke jumped up, saying: "C-Celestial Spirit Mage!"

Everyone gaped, and Lucy paled, as all eyes bore into her "E-EHHH?! W-Whattya mean, 'mage'?!"

Gildartz nodded "I knew I felt some magical power there"

"Hold up! Explain yourselves first!" Lucy yelled, causing everyone to freeze.

"It's like this" another voice said, coming from the headmaster of the school, Makarov "Fairy Tail was originally a magic school, for those born with magic, who need to be taught. But when authorities found out, they assumed us to be crooks, or a cult, so we use Fairy Tail, the collage, as a cover." He stated

Lucy nodded slowly "R-Right... then... Loke shouting...?"

"Loke is a spirit from the celestial world, looking for a celestial spirit to make his master" Makarov added "And apparently, you're a celestial spirit mage"

Well, this was shocking. Finding out over half the school were actually wizards or something. She could've easily said _"Ok! Teach me!"_... but this was insane! She would have to be nuts to believe this!

Loke sighed, seeing she wasn't convinced, and handed her a golden key "just... here... if you run into trouble, use it, and I'll be there. Ok?"

Lucy didn't know if she should throw the key back in his face or what, but she felt a little inner voice saying; _Just take the damn key, Heartfilia! _So, reluctantly, she took it.

"T-Thanks... I guess..." She muttered, gripping it tightly

"If you want to master your ability, feel free to come back" Makarov said, while a slight nod.

"I-I will... I guess..." and with that, Lucy left the small, weird, class. To ponder everything that just happened. Was all that real? Should she believe it? So deciding on leaving it be for now, Lucy stuffed the small key in her pocket, and walked back to the dorms, ready to sleep all this off.

* * *

Morning came early. Too early, Lucy had decided, as she drearily pulled herself out of bed, and brushed her teeth, trying to freshen up for the day. So after a quick stop by the school's cafe for a coffee, she was feeling energized enough to handle the day with gusto.

Though, she was completely unable to get last night off her mind, and why did this key feel so heavy in her pocket? Several questions raced through her mind, becoming so unbearable that she accidentally skipped class, because she ended up on a bench outside.

"You ok?" A deep voice asked, and Lucy looked up, to see Gray Fullbuster standing above her "You weren't in art. So I figure you're still thinking about last night?"

Lucy nodded weakly, as he helped himself to the seat next to her, continuing "I know, I was pretty shocked myself... everyone was, honestly, though we found out about it in a different way"

Lucy blinked, looking at him "you did?"

Gray laughed lightly "Yeah, I froze over my entire apartment, and I was freaking out all through high school, thinking I was a freak. But then Makarov found me, and took me in"

She had to admit, that would be a horrid way of finding out, and living, thinking you were alone in the world. She was silent for a few seconds, before smiling warmly at him "Thanks, Gray..." She said softly "I'll try and reconsider everything"

He nodded, patting her head, as if saying _'good girl'_, before standing, and walking off, and Lucy sighed heavily, now more confused than ever, feeling that she would be mean if she just said _"you're weirdos, so eff you"_ before running away forever. She had to think about how they felt too, apparently having magic powers and whatnot.

Lucy stood, and headed back for the school. It was probably best not to miss anymore lessons, anyway.

* * *

However Lucy got into this situation, she would never know. Here she was, surrounded by three different guys, all calling her "baby" every other word. Lucy had just been walking out to the store, and here she was, stopped by three "gangstas" who probably wanted nothing more than to have their way with her.

One held one wrist, and another had her chin, and the last one had her hips from behind.

She cursed mentally, as she somehow jerked back, and rammed her knee right into one guys... tender area.. as she started running, the guys chasing her.

She needed help, and needed it now, but she had no idea where to find it! though that key was feeling REALLY heavy now... She felt she needed to try and use it, NOW.

She didn't have much choice as they grabbed her again, forcing back, and scolding her.

"DAMNITALL!" Lucy finally yelled out, while pulling the key out. and just like that, she knew what to do "Open; Gate of the Lion! Leo!" She said loudly, catching them off guard.

And then he materialized in front of her, like a angel from above. Loke took no time in incapacitating the crooks, before turning to check on Lucy, who sat shakily on the ground.

"I-I just..."

"You did"

"I'm a..?"

"uh huh"

Lucy gulped "I guess I really have no choice..."

Loke smiled softly "Welcome to the true Fairy Tail~"


	2. You Make Me Feel--

_**Sorry for the wait! But here's chapter two~ I hope you enjoy :3**_

* * *

**_Lucy_**

The first few days of being a "Honer Student", Lucy decided, were exhausting. Spend all day in classes, and all night in classes, then when you get home, extra homework! But as days turned into weeks, she slowly got accustomed to their style, and the people there.

For instance, she now knew Loke was an uncommited flirt, no matter how many times he called her "princess". Gray had a stalker, but he seemed to take a shine to Lucy, for some reason... Gajeel was just plain scary, but he had a good side. That, and Levy TOTALLY had a crush on him. Erza has a boyfriend overseas, Mira is a match maker, Cana is a gambler, and alcoholic, and Natsu... well, Natsu, despite his rambunctious and playful attitude, was a bit of a loner. He only hung around his siblings, Wendy and Gajeel, and Gray, Erza, Levy, and Lisanna.

Or, that's what she thought at first. After talking with Lisanna, it turns out, he's TERRIFIED of most girls, except close friends. Lucy couldn't blame him, what with being the center of all the females' attention. While unlike Gray, who basked in it, he was horrified. Absolutely, and completely, horrified.

But of course, it was her luck that she ended up getting held back in class. Not only that, but with Natsu Dragneel himself.

Lucy looked at the pinkette, who was sitting in the windowsill, staring out the window boredly, the teacher having already left the room to go scold Gray out in the hall for walking around in the nude.

"so..." Lucy coughed nervously, gaining the distracted teens attention

"huh? What is it?" he asked, eyeing her warily

Lucy hadn't really heard him talk, other than yells of victory or pain, but noticed how smooth his voice was, and it really fit well with him "I-I, uhm... Lucy, if you don't remember" she started, trying to get him to open up, and understand that she wasn't going to jump him anytime soon.

Natsu nodded a bit, eyes finally resting on hers "yeah, you're the new chick in the extra classes" he recalled, and after some silence, he spoke again; "so, was that it?"

Lucy huffed lightly, looking away as she crossed her arms "well, I haven't really gotten to talk to you, and classmates should socialize-" she paused when she noticed he was no longer perched in the window, but rather, leaning over her desk, staring unblinkingly at her,

Lucy gulped nervously. Was he mad now? She just wanted to get to know him...

She calmed down when his lips twitched, before he laughed lightly "so that's it, huh?~ You didn't have to sound so creepy about it~" he finally said, causing Lucy to jawdrop "WH-WHAT?! I-It was not creepy!" She stuttered, causing the boy to laugh more

Natsu "sure, sure~" he said, waving the matter aside, as he flipped a chair around, and sat in front of her "So, conversation then~ Whatcha got?~"

Lucy actually didn't expect to get this far, so she plucked something from the top of her head "What magic do you use?"

"Fire magic" Natsu hummed lightly

well it would explain why he always felt so warm

"Well, Dragon Slayer, to be exact, but I work with fire"

Lucy blinked "Dragon Slayer..? You mean to say it's made to slay dragons?"

Natsu nodded "yup. But because it's one of the more... powerful magics... it's harder to control, and you could end up hurting someone, so you have to start training at a young age, or risk being drunk off the power" he explained, carefully watching her expression as he spoke

"sounds complicated..." Lucy stated in awe, causing Natsu to chuckle lightly, but stood when the bell rang, signifying their release from the school "well, I huess I'll see you-" his sentence cut off, as they both grabbed for their bags at the same time, which were both tangled to together, making them slam together, and fall to the floor.

"Wh-What on earth..?" Lucy groaned, rubbing her head, as she sat up "I think our bags are a bit tangled up..." she muttered

"well, that's not all that's tangled now" Natsu commented from underneath her.

Lucy's eyed widened, as she realized the position they were in, blushing madly as her heart rate sped up. "O-Oh my god" she shrieked a little, when she noticed their legs were intertwined, and she was currently straddling his hips, and he stared back up her her, looking annoyed "well? get up, you're heavy." he stated bluntly, causing Lucy's previous embarrassment to melt away, which was replaced by irritation, as she slapped him swiftly.

"Well, aren't you a prince charming!" She exclaimed angrily, while Natsu stared, wide-eyed back up at her "e-eh..?!" he stuttered out, holding his cheek, as Lucy quickly stood "you ain't the thinnest thing ever, either!" she snapped.

Aw, who was she kidding? He probably worked out every blasted day, what with having a figure like that.

That only pissed her off more

"Wh-What did I do?!" He asked quickly, sitting up

"JERK!" She yelled, running out of the classroom, leaving a dumbfounded Natsu there

"... She actually hit me..." He said aloud "... huh..." He was silent for a bit, before his "o" shaped lips twisted into a smirk, before busting out laughing as he stood "What a weirdo!~" He continued to laugh, as he finally left, leaving the classroom empty once again.

* * *

Lucy huffed angrily as she sat on the bench outside her dorm, as she hastily wrote down notes, which were necessary for the passing of her classes. Though she still couldn't get Natsu's comment out of her head. Why did this affect her so deeply? She simply shook her head, choosing to ignore it, and press on in her studies.

"Late night studying?" A deep voice echoed from next to her, causing Lucy to look up, to see Gray Fullbuster sitting himself next to her.

"Well, what are you doing out then?" She shot back, trying to keep at least half of her attention on her books

He chuckled lightly, leaning against the brick wall of the building "Ah, Erza made me help her polish her sword collection, as punishment for taking my shirt off..." He grumbled a bit, making a giggle bubble from the blonde

"Try not to be naked all the time then~" She said absentmindedly, causing Gray to huff irritably, a light pink scattering across his cheeks

"Maybe I should do it more often..." He finally hummed somewhat to himself, folding his hands behind his head, as he stared up at the stars

"Yeah?" Lucy answered back, only half paying attention "why's that?"

"Cuz your laugh is pretty..."

Lucy blushed lightly at this, as she quickly looked at the raven haired male. Of course both were oblivious to the blue haired beauty, who was hiding behind a tree, sobbing comically. Maybe she should invest in a voodoo doll...

* * *

**_Natsu_**

"There's a WHAT?"

"Cherry Blossom Festival" Makarov repeated "Next week. I suggest you all find dates before it's too late" He concluded, hopping off his podium, talking about getting some booze, to which Cana agreed.

Natsu scowled slightly at the word "date". Sure, he already had 15 girls ask him, but he never was too interested in the opposite sex... it wasn't very... appealing... to him. Sure, they all had their charms, but he was never drawn to them, sexually, that is. Now there was one point when Gajeel worried that he was gay, but Natsu could now confidently say that with a 'no' and a straight face. He was not gay. Just hadn't found the right girl yet. That's all.

But if he had to, he supposed he could always ask Lisa? She was a good friend, but as he stood, he saw the underwear princess and playboy by Lucy, and a light blush on her face.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, and listened harder, but almost threw something when he heard what Gray asked;

"Do you want to go the the festival with me?~"

Now Natsu was certain of two things. One, that Juvia was gonna TRASH the place. and Two, a girl HAD taken a shine to him... and if he wanted to identify this feeling, he had to get closer.

Of course, being the quirky boy Natsu was, he wasn't gonna do this like the two pricks. He was gonna do this Natsu style, meaning doing something probably insane... Either way, he knew it was gonna work! It had to! If he wanted to know what made this blonde so much more different, it had to, anyway.

Natsu slung his bag over his shoulder, and moved to head out of the class, back to the dorms, silently planning out his next course of action, being the brilliant strategist that he was. No one really knew it, but it was true. He just wasn't good at things outside of fighting, so it was hard planning your life like it was some epic war to be fought, which in a sense, it was, but that was besides the point.

Now, he just had to get himself in a sticky situation with Lucy...


	3. Prolouge to Love Problems

_**OK. So, this was a rush job, because I am leaving for A-con today~ If anyone else is going, let me know ;) **_

_**So I won't be able to work on a new chapter for a few days, but I'll work again once I get back~**_

* * *

_**Natsu**_

It took an eternity of planning, but he did it. The perfect plan to get time alone with Lucy! And maybe find out what drew him to her... Now, this may sound weird, but he really only was interested in her after she slapped him. Call him crazy, but it's true. Because it confused him. Why did she do that? Further more, WHY was GRAY interested in her?! She was just another girl! What about the girl stalking him 24/7?! He didn't get it! So if GRAY thought she was so amazing, either it was horrible, or Natsu had to investigate. He picked the latter.

He just had to wait for art, the class they shared, to put his plan in motion. It was a simple plan to get them both detention, so it was bound to work, as long as no one else got held back as well...

As of now, though, he just finished a rather bloody fight with Gray, leaving the glossy floors stained with speckles of red. When Erza saw this, she was pissed, and sent him to get a mop, naturally... but Gray? noooo~ HE didn't have to lift a fucking FINGER! He practically started the whole charade!... Mostly! Needless to say, Natsu Dragneel was not as sunny as he usually was.

And so, the pink haired male glumly made his way down the hall, while saying very venomous things about the exhibitionist, stopping to kick a locker in on the way. He paused as he reached a brown, wood door, with the words "Janitors Closet" plastered on it, on a white peeling sticker. The very definition of tidy.

He knocked on the door briefly, and waited, albeit with no response. So, he reached for the knob, and opened it slowly, revealing that the janitor wasn't in there. Natsu shrugged. He only needed a mop anyway-

"Excuse me-! KYAH!"

Natsu was caught off guard by a familiar squeal, as he fell face first into the hard ground-OUCH-with what felt like a ton of bricks on top of him. He immediately looked up, nose and forehead red from the harsh fall, a growl on his tongue, as he prepared to bite whoever it was' head off. But of course, all he saw was a mountain of blasted text books.

"the hell-" His confused voice muffled as the books slid, to cover his head completely

"O-Oh my god! Natsu, I'm so sorry!" the worried feminine called out to his crushed form. Wait. He recognized this voice.

"U-Ufcy?!"(Lucy) he cried out in shock, absolutely STUNNED that it was HER of all people who just HAPPENED to slam into him, and bury him in her, apparently, infinite mountain of books.

Lucy sat up quickly, as she hurriedly began uncovering the abused boy, muttering out "gomen! gomen!"

Natsu sat up, a slight growl emitting from the back of his throat, his eyes slanting into a slight glare "What the hell was THAT for?!" He snapped, sparks flying off his arms in obvious protest.

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but stopped as she heard a; "Oh, someone left this door open!" and the door slammed shut, concealing them in darkness.

* * *

It had been around an hour, and of course, as any cliche scenario would have it, the door miraculously locked on contact with the door-frame. perfect. Natsu made a small fire in his palm, as they both sat there. He tried crushing, and burning the door, but the entire building was magically reinforced, disabling him from leaving so much as a SCRATCH on the door.

Now that he was in this PERFECT predicament, with this girl, all they could do was-wait. This was what he wanted, right?

Natsu suddenly looked up from the small fire, into her eyes, causing Lucy to blink at him "wh-what...?

Natsu narrowed his eyes "... what do Gray and Loke see in you...?"

The blonde across from him, who was almost sitting in his lap, huffed lightly "Like I know..."

"Kay, then... favorite color?"

"what? um, pink and blue"

"Favorite animal?"

"Rabbit"

"Favorite food?"

"I don't know, maybe pasta?"

"Favorite flower?"

"Rose"

"Favorite drink?"

"Strawberry Milkshake"

"Favorite sex pose?"

"well, I always thought that-hey, wait a minute!" Lucy stopped, blushing madly, while the man across from her was about falling over laughing

"O-Oh my gosh, you almost answered!" He wheezed out, and he tried to calm down

"I-It wasn't THAT funny..." The spirit mage mumbled, looking away "but why are you asking these questions...?"

Natsu stopped, looking at her, a little too seriously "Well, I'm curious... Gray and Loke seem to like you so much... and I..." he faltered, eyebrows drawing together, seemingly confused "I... No, Nevermind..." He sighed lightly, but froze as the door opened.

"Are you guys ok?!" It was Lisanna. She reached out her hand, and heaved Natsu up, as Lucy stood as well

"Oh, thank god..." Natsu huffed, dusting his jeans off

"Hey, um, Natsu...?" Lisanna asked after a bit, making Natsu look up at her "Can I... Talk with you for a bit?"

Natsu blinked, but followed as she led him out to the courtyard

The white haired woman turned to him, a light blush on her cheeks "A-Ano... could you... go to the festival with me...?" She asked quietly

Some time passed, as Natsu stared at her, unsure what to say "ah, sure! I'll go with you~" why did he feel a tug on his heart as he said that..? And why did he think of Lucy..?

* * *

_**Lucy**_

_"You... Never answered before..." Gray said, staring down to Lucy _

_"Oh, Right, I um..." Well, she didn't have anyone else to go with... "Yeah, sure, I'll go with you..."_

And it was since that moment, Lucy had been feeling unsure of herself all day. Especially being locked in that closet with Natsu... That really made her wonder if she did the right thing by saying yes...

But then she heard he agreed to go with Lisanna... So she supposed it wasn't too bad off anyway... Even then, Loke-wait.

She stopped herself, thinking hard about the situation. And then it dawned on her, as if someone turned on a lightbulb above her head. Was she falling for them..? Gray, Natsu, and Loke, that is... Well, now she guessed that Juvia DID have a good reason to be upset with her... so maybe that was this uncertainty she held for this... Maybe it would be wiser to go with Loke...

Lucy nodded to herself. It was probably better by a landslide, but she couldn't reject him after she already accepted... She would just have to wait it out and hope Juvia didn't cut off her hair while she was asleep.


	4. Festivals, Rivers, and Boys

_**GUESS WHO'S BACK?!~~ **_

_**Well, A-kon was a blast, got my badge stolen, starved a bit, lost 14 pounds (whoop whoop) and here I am!~ Back in front of the keyboard!~ I hope you enjoy the drama/love story I crank out~**_

* * *

_**Lucy**_

Lucy glared at her cotton candy, barely distracted by the bright colors and loud noises around her. Not only was Juvia trying to kill her every 5 seconds, but Gray was too concerned with looking "cool" to keep an eye on her, and promptly wondered off, and was nowhere to be found.

But while wondering around the area of festivities, she spotted many people she knew. Like Levy trying to get Gajeel's attention, while Jet and Droy did the same with her. And Wendy and Romeo standing around blushing awkwardly. Loke flirting with every girl there. Erza dragging Jellal into the photo booth yelling at him; "Blink and I'll kill you!". Mira and Laxus sitting, and eating snacks. And of course, Lisanna and Natsu hopping from booth to booth, like over excited children.

Honestly, Lucy wouldn't have suspected Natsu and Lisanna to get split up, since their minds both seemed to travel at a million miles a minute. But, as chance would have it, she found herself bumping into the pink haired man as she wondered, trying to find her date.

They both stared at each other silently, until Lucy finally asked; "Where's Lisanna..?"

Natsu blinked, ruffling up his hair a bit "I'm not too sure... One minute we were buying food, and the next, she's gone... More importantly, where's Gray?"

Lucy sighed, and Natsu winced, not daring to voice what he knew was probably the truth

"He wondered off. Completely left me behind!" Lucy complained, while taking another bite out of her fabric-like candy

Natsu crossed his arms, looking peeved at the thought "What an ass... He doesn't even know how to take care of a girl!" He joined in, liking the idea of bashing his nemesis.

Lucy nodded in agreement, but was stunned by what Natsu said next

"Well, since Gray's being a dick, and I am, apparently, dateless... I could be your escort for a bit!~" The boy suggested merrily, looking pleased with himself.

Lucy sighed again, before smiling softly at the rambunctious, overgrown, 6 year old. There's no way she'd be able to keep up with him...

* * *

But of course she was proven wrong, mere minutes since she had this thought. Sure, his mind was faster than Sonic the Hedgehog(trademark) on crack, but he still made sure she was by his side, and he was surprisingly easy to keep up with.

He adjusted his pace just enough for her to still feel the adrenalin from being hurried, but also so she was never out of arms reach, unlike Gray.

Heh, Natsu was actually a pretty nice guy when you got to know him better.

The two let out an exhausted sigh as they both sat by the river, which happened to be close to the festival, but far enough away so you weren't getting trampled.

Natsu hummed softly, as he layed back in the grass, and Lucy smiled a bit as she watched him

"Seems like you had fun~" The blonde teased, the guy beside her laughing tiredly in return

"Well, it's more fun with people you like, anyway~" He said lightheartedly, making Lucy blush madly

'Does he have any idea what he just SAID?!' Lucy thought, feeling like her face was about to burst.

Natsu sat up, staring at the water softly, looking like he had a lot on his mind. He probably did, to be honest. And especially since he seemed so intrigued with Lucy, he was probably ironing out his feelings, seemingly new to the whole "romance" thing anyway.

Either that or he was REALLY good at leading people on... That was a sure possibility... Then again, it could be both.

Natsu suddenly stood, pulling Lucy up with him.

"I just had an awesome idea!~" He said happily, making Lucy raise a brow at him. "What are you-?"

She didn't have time to finish as Natsu pulled her off her feet, and was running straight towards the river.

Oh no.

"N-Natsu...! St-Stop it!" Lucy yelled, before she was completely submerged in the cold water.

They both gasped for air as they reached the surface, before Natsu laughed delightedly "I can't believe I didn't try this before!~" He exclaimed happily, shaking his head like a dog, to get the water from his hair.

Lucy could only gape at his recklessness. "Y-You... A-Aren't you c-cold..?!" she yelled at him, shivering.

Natsu blinked at her cluelessly "What, you mean you are..?... Oh! That's cuz of my magic!" He suddenly said, seeming to realize she wasn't a living furnace like he was.

But before she could get another word out, she felt his arms wrapping around her, instantly warming her up. She blushed lightly as he grinned cheekily at her "Better now?~" he inquired, causing Lucy to nod lightly, and avert her gaze, for fear that she would probably melt right there in his arms if her continuing staring at her with those warm eyes.

She could definitely tell the difference between him and Gray, and why they were equally popular.

Gray was the "smooth, cool guy", literally, always brushing things off, and dissing people, making himself look like a god of some sort among the eyes of certain ladies, such as Juvia.

Natsu had his boyish charm. In fact, he probably had more boyish charm than a 6 year old girl had pink in her bedroom. Which for most girls, including her, was a lot. Not to mention he was generally kind, and warm hearted. And he "cute and clumsy" persona was a turn on for a lot of girls.

Of course everyone knew why Loke was popular. He was a flirt, and made you feel good. But Lucy knew he had a nice, devoted side too, wich was the side she liked the most about him. And... He was, pretty good looking...

Lucy pondered these three boys, unknowing to Natsu's call of her name. She blinked, refocusing on the guy holding her. "I'm sorry what was that..?"

Natsu huffed impatiently. "I SAID, that I-"

"Natsu..?!"

"Lucy?! What are you doing in there?!"

Well, there was Lisanna and Gray.

Natsu grinned up at them "Well, since I had lost Lisa, and you ditched your girl, I decided to show her around instead!~" He said proudly

Lisanna looked bewildered "... That included the river..?"

"Oi, can I not have some fun..?!" Natsu barked back, starting to climb out, with Lucy in tow.

* * *

_**Natsu**_

Natsu sighed as Lisanna placed a white fluffy towel over his head, scolding him. But he could hardly pay attention now. He did feel kinda bad for dunking Lucy like that, and watched her with Gray, as she pushed him away, saying he was to cold, as he attempted to warm her up.

Tired of the poor display of kindness Gray was showing to a already freezing woman, Natsu walked up to Lucy, handing her his dry and warmed up towel, as he was already dry, himself, placing the piece of cloth around her shoulders.

Natsu grinned sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his head "Sorry, for uh, dunking you in the river...~" he said, giving a light chuckle, before walking off, leaving Lucy cuddling into the towels, blushing lightly, and a small smile on her face.

It was safe to say the Lucy's little fling with Gray was long over by the next day, but of course, she would probably be back into the dating game relatively quickly, seeing how popular she was with the dudes.

Natsu would figure her out sooner or later.


	5. Be My Girlfriend?

**This is the most pathetic chapter TT^TT I'm sorry, I've been busy, but I'm gonna try and do better!**

* * *

_**Natsu**_

As anyone would have guessed, after the long nights of fighting, arguing, and keeping all the other girls and guys in the dorm up, Lucy broke up with Gray Fullbuster, for being an insensitive jackass, and not listening to her needs.

Natsu had to decide whether to jump for joy, burn a tree (for Lucy's sake), or punch Gray for treating Lucy so horribly. So he did all of them, laughing merrily by the end of it all.

He made sure to take advantage of the moment, and was proud to say he and Lucy became close friends. Maybe best friends? Whatever it was, it made him forget his original goal.

As for Natsu's relationship status with Lisanna, they had been dating for quite some time, and everything was fine... But that was it. He didn't feel that particular spark he felt was missing. But he decided to stay in it a bit longer, to see if he had a change of heart.

He and and Lisanna had discussed the obvious hole in their relationship, but she talked him into giving them a bit more effort, because she felt he wasn't trying enough.

Natsu being the push-over he was when it came to girls easily agreed. He wasn't loosing anything after all, right? He just wasn't gaining anything either... Both people needed to feel like they were getting something out of their relationship, didn't they?

Of course he refused to linger on sappy things like "love" and "romance" and never really brought it up with anyone...

Natsu sighed as got up off the grassy floor, heading back inside, just waking up from his "skip half my classes" nap. He pulled his phone out, scrolling down the screen, boredly looking at Lisanna's endless texts, but blinked when he saw a text from Lucy;

"_We're still on for lunch, right?~_"

Natsu cursed and broke into a sprint, forgetting completely about having lunch with Lucy.

She would forgive him though... Probably

* * *

_**Lucy**_

"Natsu, what the hell?!" Lucy instantly screamed at him as he showed up in the small cafe frantically, knowing he was probably in for hell.

"I-I'm sorry! I fell asleep in the courtyard!" He panted, sliding into the seat opposite of her

Lucy sighed, shaking her head, before smiling softly. He screwed up a lot, and could never remember appointments, but he always somehow managed to make her smile... She knew he was special, and that she felt a significant pull toward him... But she doubted it was romantic, because, I mean, he was already dating Lisanna. And even then, she had been seriously considering Loke's offer to go out with him

"Say Natsu..." She eventually spoke, making the pink-head look up, a sandwich halfway in his mouth "I think... I should get a boyfriend..." She had no idea why she said that, but she just said it, so there it was, all awkward and such

Natsu froze, his expression unreadable, as he stared back at her

Lucy waved her hand in front of his face, causing him to flinch and quickly swallow "Y-Yeah, do what you want...!"

Lucy sighed with relief, before smiling at the boy "Arigatou~"

* * *

_**Natsu**_

Natsu had to break up with Lisanna. That was the only cure for this spreading disease of romance, the seemed to be spreading. Hell, it had gotten to him too. He felt more possessive than he ever had at the mention of Lucy's dating another guy. It made his blood boil.

He ran through the dark courtyards of the dormitories, as he hurried to the specific room he was seeking out.

He was pretty sure he woke half the building up with how loud he was banging on the door.

But soon enough, the white haired teen, and his soon-to-be ex, opened the door

"Nat-?"

"Lisanna, we're breaking up!" He said, quickly silencing her, not giving her a change to retaliate as he turned on his heel, heading back to his room.

He was yelled at a lot the next day as he rushed down the halls, trying to catch a glimpse of Lucy's golden hair, or chocolate eyes. His razor sharp senses helping him greatly in the search.

And at last, he saw her.

"Luce-!" His sentence falling short as he saw the orange haired male known as "Loke the infamous playboy" lean down and KISS her... AND THEY WERE HOLDING HANDS?!

Natsu felt his body temperature rapidly increase at the sight,but Lucy pulled back as soon as Natsu's shout left his lips.

"Natsu..?" she asked, but he was already gone.

All that energy he had, gone. He felt like he was flying with how fast his mind was racing. How was he supposed to comprehend THAT? He broke up with Lisanna to be with her! And that stupid kitty cat stole her away! He's not even human!There was no way on earth or in the spirit realm they could live happily together!

Natsu finally stopped running, as he caught his breath, wiping the small drips of sweat off he forehead, as he fully examined the situation.

Maybe he could get Lucy to go after him? But how? He would need to be super happy with someone else.. But Lisanna was out of the question... Someone who would be in on the plan, and talk about how great a boyfriend he was... Mira?... Nah, she had to be close to Lucy, and more sensible, so she'd listen...

"Natsu, are you ok..?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Levy..." wait "LEVY!"

Levy squeaked, jumping back a few inches "Wh-What..?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?!" Natsu asked, maybe too quickly, and loudly

* * *

"EHHH?!"

After a good slap to the face, and a quick explanation, Levy soon grasped what he was going for.

"So... You like Lu-chan?~" She pried eventually, totally loving the idea

Natsu huffed, blushing madly "M-Maybe... But will you help me or not..?"

Levy giggled "Yeah!~ Of course~"

But of course they failed to notice the figure around the corner, who didn't hear the whole conversation. But to say the least, he was NOT happy... Not one bit...


	6. No Time for Love

**OMG I'M ACTUALLY WRITING AGAIN. JUMP FOR JOY. START THE PARTY. WOOT. I'm not giving a long intro, just sit back and enjoy~**

* * *

**_Natsu_**

Natsu and Levy held each other's sweaty hands, smiling nervously at the pair across from them. Of course, Loke wasn't convinced. Loke leaned back, narrowing his eyes behind his shades, so it's not like it helped anyone anyway.

"I-It's true!" Levy said, not so convincingly. Well, Lucy was eating up every word like a fine dessert, but Loke was staring down Natsu. He KNEW Natsu liked Lucy, but of course, Natsu wasn't about to throw his plan into a river just because if THIS guy. This wasn't about Loke. He was focused solely on Lucy, the object of his affection.

Lucy gave a half hearted smile "Th-That's great Levy-chan... but don't you like Gajeel..?" she inquired, tilting her head curiously

Levy's face looked like a rose as she stuttered and mumbled incoherent words such as "no", "I mean", and "Just a little"

Natsu covered the bluenette's mouth before more damage could be done "she DID... But Gajeel turned her down...?"

"Oh, ok..." Lucy bought it. But Natsu SWORE he could feel the heat from rivet face's glare to the back of his head

"A-Anyway! we wanted to, um, go on a double date.." Levy added quickly, and of course, Lucy being as gullible as she was, immediately agreed.

* * *

Natsu knew his life was gonna end soon, no two ways about it. Barely two minutes of sitting across from Lucy, and he noted that;

1\. Loke was PISSED, and wanted him dead.

2\. Gajeel tailed them.

3\. He wanted him dead too!

Natsu felt like exploding, quite literally, from all the pressure, but he kept focused enough on his prize to distract himself. Loke didn't like it at all, but Natsu and Levy's plan was working like a charm.

It was quite simple, really. Natsu would occupy Lucy, and Levy would Occupy Loke. Levy would mess up Loke's suit, forcing him to retreat to the spirit realm, and change, giving Natsu the chance to ask Lucy to come with him to the bar to continue their conversation, where he would then bust out the big guns, and convince her to go out with him. All Natsu needed was a little patience.

**_crash!_**

And there goes the glass of water and pasta into the horny kitty's lap.

Loke looked peeved, as he stood. "Lucy-hime, please excuse me..." he said as he slowly made his way around the small table

Natsu forced his poker face on, to hide the grin beneath _'It's working..~'_ he thought giddily

But the thought was short lived when he felt a fist in his face, which sent him into a wall. "O-Ow! What the he-"

"I know what you're up to, Natsu." Loke sneered

Lucy and Levy were already on their feet, as Lucy choked out a shocked; "wh-what..?"

"So I wasn't the only one who saw it." Came a gruff voice, as a shadow emerged from the corner.

Gajeel glared at Natsu. Sure he was annoying before, but he didn't think he'd stoop THIS low! Levy was HIS girl, and no one was taking her from him!

Loke smirked at him "so you agree what he's doing is wrong, 'Balck Steel'?~"

"Of course I do!" He bellowed back, trying to get his anger across

"G-Gajeel, I don't think you two are on the same page! N-Natsu's not-"

"Now you're defending him, Shrimp?!" he couldn't take this anymore! He actually managed to get her to FALL for him?! Gajeel thought she was SMART! He huffed, pointing to Natsu, scaring a few kids in the process "It's obvious! He's-"

"-Trying to steal Lucy-hime from me!"

"-Stealing my woman!"

Silence filled the room, as everyone tried to comprehend what was said. Gajeel pointed from Natsu and Levy, and raised a brow questionably, as if to ask; _"so are these guys a thing or not?"_

Natsu, Levy, and Loke quickly shook their heads

"W-Wait a minute! So you AREN'T dating?!" Lucy intervened, between the three males, who had already gained the attention of the whole establishment.

Natsu coughed nervously "If FAKE dating counts, then... yeah..."

Lucy veinpopped as she heard that. Here she was, flipping out because Natsu was dating another girl, not to mention that girl was her BEST FRIEND. UGH. This guy had some nerve! Why on earth would he do this?! and that's exactly what she asked. "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU FAKE DATE MY BEST FRIEND?!" she yelled, making everyone flinch, sweat running down their faces.

Natsu regained his senses after awhile, and answered; "Well why are YOU dating Loke?!"

More veins popped on her forehead "CUZ I FRICKING WANTED TO!"

Natsu stood, looking as determined as he possibly could. It was now or never, he supposed, and he wasn't about to leave halfway done! "Lucy." He said sternly, trying to hide the fact he was terrified right now of how this might end up. He shoulda thought of that BEFORE he fake dated her best friend, he supposed "The reason I did this is because I wanted to make you jealous." yep, he wasn't hiding anything now. He rarely just opened himself up like this, let alone in public, so she better appreciate this!

Lucy blushed lightly "Wh-What..? Why-"

"Because I want to go out with you..!" THERE. HE SAID IT. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep himself from breaking down in a nice restaurant in front of the girl he liked. His eyes quickly opened when he felt soft lips press against he cheek, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Lucy kissing his cheek softly. "L-Luce..." he muttered, and Lucy smiled up at him "I wanted to go out with you too..."

Natsu frowned "That's past tense..." and Lucy nodded slightly "I know... But you were dating Lisanna, and Loke really wanted me to give him a chance... So I promised him I'd stay with him for awhile... I'm sorry, Natsu, If you had told me sooner, then maybe-"

Natsu quickly covered her mouth, sighing "Yeah. I get it... I'm just really slow when it comes to figuring these things out..." Lucy giggled, removing his hand from her mouth "yeah, I guess~ Maybe something will happen in the future, but right now I can't... But you'll always be a great friend to me~"

* * *

**_Levy_**

"Well, there's still hope for you, at least" Levy said reassuringly to Natsu, as she and him walked back to campus. Poor guy worked so hard too...

Natsu nodded, and smiled at her "yeah, arigatou, Levy-chan~ I really appreciate your help~ Now I believe you have something to tell Gajeel, neh?~" Levy blushed lightly "wh-what do you-?!" "Bye!~" and with that he ran off.

She blinked as she felt a familiar presence behind her, and turned to see the iron dragon slayer sanding there "G-Gajeel!" the small girl stuttered, and he merely grunted in response "yo, Shrimp."

she figured she at least owed him an apology... But of course the urge to tease him was too great to resist "So... You seemed pretty upset about me 'dating' Natsu...~" Levy giggled, watching him turn a light pink color

"W-Well, I didn't want a smart girl like you being with a dumbass like him.." He muttered, obviously making up excuses. She was shy about admitting how she felt before, but now she was sure he felt the same! He DID call her "his woman" after all...

"Neh, Gajeel..?" Levy started, looking up at him, causing him to blink back down at her, caught off guard by her tone "Do you... Like me..?" she muttered out, cuz whattya know? She was still shy about admitting her feelings.

"O-Of course I don-" he stopped, after scanning her expression, before blushing when he realized what she was meaning "I mean..." he sighed "yeah, I do-"

The bluenet couldn't contain it anymore, she just leapt up and kissed him immediately, because she never felt so relieved before! Plus she kinda had been waiting forever to do this... The kiss lasted for who knows how long, before they finally pulled back, panting lightly, a small smile coming to Levy's cheeks "Arigatou, Gajeel..."

* * *

**_Natsu_**

Natsu wasn't very happy... He had tried so hard, and in the end, it was Levy who got a partner... He knew it was partially his fault, but he couldn't help but feel bad about everything that had taken place yesterday. No amount of pep talk would cheer him up today, he just needed awhile to be depressed.

Natsu ignored he's friend's worried questions, insisting he was fine, and left for his dorm as the magic class was over, deciding to debate his life, an what had went wrong... well, too many things went wrong for him to even to BEGIN to count, so he stuck with smaller things. The walk was about as peaceful as a walk could get, until he suddenly remembered someone he didn't want to remember...

It wasn't just like he was remembering him though, he felt as if this person was there somewhere, looking into him, and it creeped him out to no end! Especially since we're talking about the one person Natsu absolutely HATED (no, he didn't hate Gray, shut up) and who had ruined his life!

He felt a chill down his spine as a cold wind blew by, whispering something, making him drop his bags, and he froze on the spot

_Three more days_

That's right... He didn't have time for girls and romance... He had a reason he was here


	7. The Black Dragon

**The odds are apparently NOT in my favor, because as I was so excited to write about what happened to Natsu, I had to get off, and I write my stories directly on the site, but long story short, all the tabs closed, and the internet wasn't working, and there was nothing for me to punch. Anyway, I'm finally able to write more, and I hope you enjoy it as much as what I originally wrote**

* * *

_**Natsu**_

_His vision was clouded with tears and smoke, unable to take in all the carnage that had produced around him. The forest burning to ashes, the thick black smoke blocking out the sky, tree falling, making soot billow up into the young boys face. Of course he could care less about the flames. Hell, it barely burned him. But one thought stuck on his mind..._

_It was his fault._

_He knew it was his fault._

_Igneel had ALWAYS told him to never go past the river, that circled in the forest. just outside their small little clearing. Like the opposite of a dragon cave. But he disobeyed. Why would he do this? Well for one, it was his 10th birthday and he wanted freedom! Also, it had grown unbearably lonely, not having a friend his age to play with in his spare time. He was always alone, and it shook him to the core with sadness._

_But when he saw that man..._

_"Have you seen a dragon around here...?"_

_He should've never left..._

_He cried as he slowly approached the giant red beast across from him "I-Igneel.. I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to..." He stopped, letting loose more tears, as he slowly placed his small hand on the dragons muzzle, who was currently worse for the wear after his fight with that other... THING  
_

_Tears trailed down his red-tinted cheeks, pulling soot and dirt with them, and he couldn't believe he was crying so much! He was a dragons kid! He was supposed to be STRONG! And yet here he was..._

_"N-Natsu..." The dragon called out to him "10... years..." _

_Natsu could tell the dragon that was currently speaking was reaching his end, and all to fix his own mistake. He made sure to listen closely, to hear the last words of the great beast he called his dad._

_"F-Fairy Tail... The same thing... Don't... Let it happen..."_

_'Fairy Tail?' He didn't know what that was_

_"Go north... In Magnolia... Find it... Protect it..." Igneel coughed lightly before continuing "I know you can save them... You are my son... And you are nothing but stong... Now, go..!"_

_His eyes widened more at the shocking words, as if the dragon read his mind, he called out what he was so distressed about. And more importantly, he was given a mission from the being he owed EVERYTHING to! And he BELIEVED that HE could do it!_

_**snap!**_

_"I-IGNEEL!"_

_And the flames consumed them._

* * *

"Igneel!" Natsu found himself yelling, as he suddenly awoke from his horrible memory. Nightmare. Whatever.

He ignored Gray's questioning of his random outburst, and proceeding calming his shaky heart, as he slowly peeled the sweat-soaked sheets off himself, and got ready for classes.

He had this dream before, especially when he was younger, but at least every week, the dream would come back, as if his head was reminding him _'You have a job. Don't forget it.'_ and that's just how his life had become, and he handled it better as he got older.

But he hadn't had it for at least 2 or 3 weeks since he had met a special person... Lucy Heartfilia.

He wasn't sure how, but the girl had stole his heart and refused to give it back. He had become so entranced with her he completely forgot the impending doom he had to prevent in two days. Ever since she had hit him when they both ended up in detention, he kinda got a grasp of what she was like.

Persistent, strong, stubborn, yet somehow sweet and kind, and a total BADASS when she wanted to be (which he was proven right when he overheard her telling Gray off one time, and she ending the only scene with a kick where it hurts most. Like he said. Bad. Ass.)

And like the slightly deluded person he was, he was TOTALLY into that! He could just imagine walking around campus with dark shades on and leather jackets, scaring the shit out of everyone! Oh man if she was possessive too...

Well, as you can see, Lucy is a rather dangerous subject for him to think about, and he quickly tried to change his train of thought as he walked down the path from the dorms to the school.

Oh great, and there was Lucy.

He couldn't help but feel a little more than frustrated and his quickly ran past her, hoping to avoid seeing her for at least three days, until everything was over.

Most people would be overjoyed for their 20th birthday, but when the present you receive might possibly be a huge, flaming, ball of death that'll kill everyone you ever loved? Yeah, he could picture THAT scene.

_Blow out your candles, Natsu~_

_What candles?_

_Up there! In the sky~_

_Wha-? **BOOM.**_

And that's the death of everyone at Fairy Tail in 5 seconds. Whoop, new record!

Natsu just had to steel his mind for a few days and do some EXTRA hardcore training! No rest for the weak, as they say, even though he refused to consider himself that, he just LITERALLY had to be stronger than a dragon. No biggie.

Yeah, right.

* * *

_**Lucy**_

For the past few days since the whole _"you're fake-dating my best friend to get me jealous?!"_ incident, Lucy had hardly seen Natsu. She figured he might've been a little upset, but it's not like she totally turned him down! She was just keeping her promise to Loke! and Honestly, she still wanted Natsu, she just had to wait a bit to break it off.

Whenever she DID see him though, he had sort of a blank expression. He never engaged in any of the conversations in class, and she swore he purposefully avoided her!

Lucy was staring outside her window, trying to figure out what was up with him. She found the stars calming, she always has, because when her parents died, she swore she felt the stars trying to comfort her. She knew why she felt that now, she supposed, because of the celestial spirits.

The stellar mage pulled out the keys she had, which had stacked up quite a lot, as she currently had 10. Apparently a lot of people thought the items were antiques, others, the spirits personally came to her, and some, her ex-maid Spetto-san, brought to her, saying they were her late-mothers.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw column of flame shoot up in the air for a split second, around where the mage school was, and instantly she thought; _"Natsu!"_

She didn't know anyone else with fire magic that strong, because the only other person with fire magic was Romeo, and he was ages away from being as strong as Natsu. So Lucy did the only thing she could think to do, and grabbed her jacket, slipping her plush night slippers on, and ran out, her knee-length pink nightgown fluttering out behind her, but she could care less, she had to see Natsu!

She knew she was close when the brisk, night air suddenly heated up to a massive degree, making the blonde only speed up _'He's here..!'_ she told herself, before tripping over a stone protruding from the ground, only to fall flat on her face, in front of the salmon haired boy, who had both hands lit up in fire, staring down at her curiously.

"Lucy..?" His smooth voice came, which only made her more flustered, as she quickly sat up

"N-Natsu! What on earth are you doing at this hour?!" she called out, the wind making her shiver, and leaves blow around them in the breeze. It felt like time had stopped and they had been magically transported into one of those drama movies, where the two characters would stand and stare for like, forever.

Lucy didn't realize it, but they HAD been staring at each other for 30 minutes or so.

"I... I think I should be asking that..." Natsu finally spoke slowly, as if trying to decide if he actually wanted to say it as he said it. "At least I'm appropriately dressed.." He added uneasily.

Lucy blinked, before she fully noticed the pink that tinted his cheek, and the ensemble she was currently wearing. She squeaked lightly, quickly buttoning up her jacket, trying to eliminate his distraction.

Of course she didn't realize her very PRESENCE was a distraction, but she would find this out later.

"I-I saw the fire... And I came to see you..." She said nervously, "I... I missed you... And I want to know what's wrong, you've been avoiding me for a few days now..."

Natsu shifted from foot to foot, and averted his eyes nervously, the fire in his hands dying out.

"I-I haven't been avoiding you, per se..." He said, getting increasingly shifty, as he coughed lightly.

Lucy raised a brow in suspicion "I've never seen you like this before..."

"Well, you weren't here when I was, so..." The pink haired boy standing before her said suddenly, making Lucy think a little deeper into this.

Now that she thought about it, when she had seen him BEFORE they became friends, he wasn't as loud, and out there as he's been with here. Then it dawned on her. Something changed in him since they had met, but now suddenly, he was back to that...

"I don't suggest coming into school, Friday." He added

_'Friday? What's happening then?' _she thought, growing ever more suspicious "Wait... Isn't Friday your birth-"

"Don't remind me." he said with a slight snarl in his voice.

Lucy jumped back a bit at the tone "W-Why? Natsu, what's happening Friday?"

"I'm not too sure myself..." And with that, her turned to go back to the dorms, leaving Lucy there, a little miffed.

"Natsu!" She called after him, but he didn't pause.

_'Natsu... What on earth is going on...?'_

* * *

**_Natsu_**

"Jiichan! I said you can't have classes tomorrow!" Natsu yelled, silently fuming

The old man sighed "Look, I know it's your birthday, but-"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THAT!" The pinkette yelled, anger and frustration evident in his tone, as he slammed his fists down on the oak desk, causing it the split right down the center

Makarov was in shock, but quickly snapped out of it "I can't just cancel it for no reason!" he shouted back

"CANCEL CLASSES TOMORROW OR I'LL GIVE YOU A REASON, DAMNIT." The seriousness had never been more clear in Natsu's voice, making Makarov waver a bit.

Natsu glared and the old man stared back.

"... Fine, I'll cancel all classes tomorrow. But this better not be for a silly reason.

Natsu growled lowly. This was far from silly. This was about protecting the people he cared about. And he wasn't gonna let his family die. Not again.

* * *

Natsu left the building early the next day, making sure not to wake anyone in the building. He had faith that the dorms would be ok, seeing as they were quite a distance away from the school itself, and if anything DID happen, most people would hopefully be out in town.

He felt like someone walking to their execution, as he approached the tall building in the distance, his shoes scuffing up dirt as he dragged his feet slightly, not looking forward to what fate would await him. Only praying he wouldn't end up like-

He sighed, and shook his head, not daring to finish that thought. As he cleared his head, his eyes widened upon the sight of the busty, blonde, and VERY stubborn, Heartfilia. Who stood at the front, arms crossed, and that pissed off look on her face.

Queue the freaking out.

_'WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?!'_

Natsu mentally yelled, as he gaped at her, before running up to meet her "Lucy! Wha-"

"I knew you'd come, even though school was canceled." She cut him off sharply, making him flinch, and he could feel sweat rolling down his body from that killer look she had "You made Master cancel it, correct?"

"U-Uhm, ye-"

"Natsu Dragneel, I don't know what you're up to, but you better damn well tell me this instant!" She suddenly snapped, making the pink-head squeak in surprise

"I-I swear I don't-"

"DON'T WHAT?!"

"S-Stop yelling!"

"NO! I thought we were cool after I said I was keeping my promise to Loke, but apparently I was just a momentary crush, huh?!"

"... WHAT?!" Natsu couldn't believe what he was hearing

"I actually really liked you! I still do! But one rejection and you're moping around, causing mayhem everywhere?!" She swiftly added

This girl was insane. "Th-That has nothing-!"

"So I was right?! Here I thought you were a decent guy, who REALLY wanted to be with-" Her words were cut off as Natsu picked the only thing he had that could POSSIBLY shut her up from her crazy rant, and he slammed his mouth against hers, making sure to kiss her hard enough to leave her breathless so she would just... stop damn talking!

He finally pulled back, the blonde in a daze from the sudden smooch "BAKA!" He snapped, now it was HER turn to flinch "This has nothing to do with you turning me down! Of COURSE I still like you! I'm just trying to keep everyone I care about from being killed! ESPECIALLY you! But that's REALLY hard when I can't even THINK STRAIGHT with you around!" There. He said it.

He was panting hard from the lack of air due to kissing her and yelling right afterwords, but that was the least of his concerns.

As if on time, though, right as Lucy opened her mouth to speak, a loud buzz could be heard in the sky, and the two looked up to see a huge beam of bright light tearing through the sky, aiming straight at the school.

"What's-?!" He didn't let her finish as he yanked her hard into her chest, diving out of the way, as the whole area lit up with destructive force.

Natsu slowly sat up, shaking, feeling like he was 10 all over again, as he saw the horrible beast what killed his dad.

"Natsu... What's happening..?" Lucy's voice rang out from behind him, sounding as shaky as he felt.

"A-Acnologia..."


	8. Never

**HERE IT IS. The final chapter :3 taking me awhile to figure out what to do, and how to say what I need to, but I hope you find it as enjoyable as the rest  
**

* * *

**_Lucy_  
**

Lucy was in awe from what was happening, and Natsu looked absolutely terrified, but of course, he was acting as tough as usual. "Wh-Who's Acnologia...?" she whispered frantically, hiding behind Natsu.

"The asshole what killed my dad." Well no wonder he was scared.

"He had help, though~" Another voice said, and Lucy turned quickly to see a man walking up the dirt path toward the school building. "Maybe, Natsu, if your father was still alive, you could survive this, but sadly... you have no one to help you... So pick, either fight me and save the girl, or Acnologia and save the thousands of students with a side-order of revenge~"

"HEY! I resent that!" Lucy snapped, getting over her shock quickly as she stood

"_Lucy!"_ Natsu hissed, standing as well "You DO know this is Zeref, right?! THE Zeref!"

"Zeref my ass!" She huffed back, glaring at the surprisingly young man "I can fight as good as anyone else!"

Zeref didn't seem too intimidated, and stared blankly "You need help to use your own magic. You can't fight battles on your own and constantly require help from your spirits."

Lucy was having none of it. "My _magic_ is not being a overly-prideful ASSHOLE who can't admit their own weaknesses! Yes, I require help from my spirits, but NO ONE can do everything alone, and shouldn't have to! And it's because I know I have people backing me up, day in and day out, who support me, encourage me, and tell me to keep on, that I can keep going strong, even while the world calls me weak, and says I can't handle it!"

She slung out her magic whip, and readied her keys, glaring at Zeref.

Natsu looked at her, stunned. "L-Luce... You're sure you'll be ok?"

"Fine. You're the 'Dragon Slayer' right? Only you can fight that dragon and I won't allow myself to hold you back from saving Fairy Tail!" Lucy spoke firmly, her gaze not wavering from the dark mage

Natsu gave a curt nod, and a 'good luck' before he dashed off to the other side of the campus, to stop the oncoming destruction.

"You made a very unwise choice." Zeref finally returned her glare, as a dark pulse omitted from him, killing everything in contact.

Lucy managed to roll under it in time "You don't seem to realize that I'm a one-woman army~ You're fighting against 16 different people." and with that, she whipped out Loke and Aries, courage filling her, because she knew she didn't have to be a powerhouse like Natsu, Gajeel, and Erza. She didn't need to change shape, or summon a storm.

No, All she needed was support from her dearest friends, and no matter how beat-up she was, she knew she could go forever.

* * *

Lucy had been putting up a pretty good fight, and the head on her shoulders definitely wasn't just for show. Loke and Aries were in perfect sync, as they assaulted Zeref from all angles. No words were needed and they knew exactly what to do.

Aries apologized as she surrounded the area with fluffy pink wool, covering Lucy from Zeref's line of vision, but Loke left him no time to search as he kept the dark mage fairly occupied with his quick barrage of swift strikes.

Zeref didn't seem fazed, and looked more annoyed than anything. He sighed, and Loke realized it was another dark pulse, but before he and Aries could evade, they were hit, and disappeared into the celestial realm, Aries' woolen maze going with them. Zeref narrowed his eyes, as he couldn't see the blonde anywhere.

"Did she flee-?"

"HYAAH!" A feminine battle cry came from behind him, as Lucy leapt in the air, and slung her magic whip at the young man below her.

Zeref raised his hand, and a gush of wind re-directed the whip to wrap around the slender girls body "such a pathetic trick." He scoffed, keeping his hand up to keep the whip in place.

The mage's eyes widened as a second whip came from nowhere, wrapping around his extended arm, causing a growl to rip from Zeref's throat, as he quickly raised his other hand to hit the other Lucy, only to have the whip from the previous Lucy wrap around that arm.

Both blondes pulled with all their might, successfully tangling the Zeref up

"Good job, Gimini!" the newer Lucy exclaimed

"Piri!~" The first Lucy responded, but both missed the smirk the ran across Zeref's face

"fools."

* * *

**_Natsu_**

This was really pissing him off. He used all of his strongest attacks, and there was nothing. Natsu growled, gripping the dragon's scales for dear life as it did a corkscrew at maybe 100 miles an hour.

He had been training for this day for 10 YEARS. How the hell could he not even be DENTING this son of a bitch?!

A short cry of surprise tore through him as he was flung off the raging beast that had been prancing around like a raging bull, trying to get him off. It had worked apparently as he was flung onto the roof of one of the school towers, getting a mouthful of shingles in the process.

"Guren; Bakuinjin!" He shouted, as he quickly leapt from the torn up building, hitting Acnologia with his strongest attack, once again, but to no avail.

Natsu noted the burn marks on Acnologia's scales before they shimmered and disappeared. Then he remembered when he was little, the reason Igneel couldn't win alone... Zeref was practically Acnologia's source of power, so if you didn't have two strong people fighting, there was no way you could beat them.

He glanced down to Lucy, who wasn't doing to well, and was doing good enough to dodge the onslaught of death magic. He fought the urge to help her, but not only did he have to worry about the lives of all those at Fairy Tail, Lucy would KILL him if he showed any signs that made it look like he thought she was weak.

Natsu huffed, "Looks like I gotta play with you, huh, big guy?" He lit his hands up, leaping in the air above the beast "Karyuu no; Koen!" he yelled, as he hurled the giant fireball at it, agitating it enough for it to pay attention to him.

"Finally see me as a treat, or at least an annoyance, eh?~" He smirked to himself, as he quickly retreated from his spot, to lure the dragon away.

_'Lucy... Hurry...'_

* * *

**_Lucy_**

Her breathing was pained, like she just inhaled a gallon of sulfur, and she felt more broken than ever before. Had the sky been so blue before..? No, Lucy, this was no time for that...

She had long ago noticed the connection between Zeref and his little pet, and she thought she could really beat Zeref by herself... All that pride she had in herself was gone...

_'Natsu... You shouldn't have trusted me...'_ She thought with tears in her eyes. She couldn't move or speak, so was this the end? Zeref would end her life any minute now and she would never truly get to confess to Natsu... She mentally chided herself for thinking such silly things, but he was all she thought about at this moment. Her parents were gone, she didn't have any family, and he felt like the closest thing to family right now... Maybe he could've been if she hadn't been so shy and weak willed

_'Weak...'_

There it was again... _'I-I'm... wea-'_

"Don't give up, Lucy!" A voice rang out, followed by a loud crash, causing Lucy to gasp, and quickly sit up, only to find Natsu struggling to stand on the roof. He looked so beat up, and worn out, but he stood again. How could he do that..? "I know you can do it! I wouldn't have left him to you if I didn't think so!"

Lucy's eyes watered more, as Acnologia trapped him against the roof tiles with his claw.

She stood quickly, gripping her whip tightly, stumbling a bit "I-I know... I was just catching my breath...!" She just FEEL the grin he was probably giving at this point

"So you still have some fight left in you?" Zeref questioned, not looking amused.

"Natsu..." she managed, still breathing hard "He's been trying so hard... for 10 years... and even now... he's refusing to go down easily..."

"What of it?" His glare hardened

"I'm not going to let him down! And I won't give in! Damnit, I'm a Fairy Tail mage! And I swear on everything that I ever loved, I will help Natsu! And I will be the one to defeat you!" She yelled out, tears fluttering down her dirtied cheeks, as she squeezed out every drop of magic she had left, and her keys grew warm on her hip.

"Please! Celestial Spirits of the Zodiac..! Help me win this battle!"

Zeref was no fool. He knew she was summoning all of her spirits into one final attack and even he probably would stay conscious for that. He surged foreword, swiping his hand at her, as his death magic flew towards her, but it was only purified by the bright light that surrounded her and was cast into the skies.

Her spirits her protecting her.

In a spectacular light show even Lucy couldn't really recall, all she remembered was all 10 spirits soaring down and as soon as they made contact with Zeref, it all went blank.

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered at the bright light, and was shocked at how serene everything seemed.

_'Natsu!' _She thought as she quickly stood, ignoring the staggering pain in her legs, and the pounding in her chest. She raced across the courtyard, until she noticed something spiky and pink sticking up from the grass.

Lucy quickly fell to her knees by him, before carefully resting his head in her lap. He was awake and well, thank god, but he was drained of power, probably just using the last of it more recently.

"Why are you crying...?" His soft, battle weary, voice came from beneath her, and only then did she notice the tears dripping onto his tanned cheeks.

"I-I guess I'm just relieved~ You're ok~"

"Better than ever..~" He reassured, smiling the warm smile he had only shown her. A smile showing how deep his affection was.

She slowly leaned down, until their foreheads touched "Would it be to late... To say I love you...? And that I'm sorry..?" She asked quietly, scanning his eyes, trying to predict his response. She was shocked at the sudden warm hand on the back of her head.

"Never" he managed out, before pulling her lips firmly against his.

Never was right, Lucy thought.

Because she had never felt this happy before.


End file.
